


Claw Marks

by Oceanwhirl



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games), Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Smut, Interracial By Fantasy Standards, M/M, Monster Hunter AU, Mutual Pining, No Spoilers, Otayuri Bigbang, Otayuri Minibang, Wyverian!Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-13 11:31:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21243398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oceanwhirl/pseuds/Oceanwhirl
Summary: There’s so many things different in the New World, but the sunrise is still the same. The way the waves sparkle red and golden is very similar to the glow of the mountain tops back in Pokke, the snow reflecting the light like a mirror hanging from the sky. When Otabek looks over the shore of Astera the glitter is the same as back there and he feels at home.In which Otabek is a monster hunter and Yuri is a wild cat that needs to be tamed.-> No game knowledge required!For the Otayuri Bang 2019Art by GoldenFalls





	Claw Marks

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, it's been a while since I wrote something for Otayuri, but I'm happy I decided to participate in the Otayuri Minibang 2019! This time with a Monster Hunter AU that has been stuck in my head for a veeeery long time. ^-^  
There's a glossary in the End Notes, if there's a word or a name you don't know check it out~  
Thanks to GoldenFalls for being my artist, to Sprosslee for being my beta and the mods of the Bang for bringing this story in existence in the first place.

### Claw Marks

There’s so many things different in the New World, but the sunrise is still the same. The way the waves sparkle red and golden is very similar to the glow of the mountain tops back in Pokke, the snow reflecting the light like a mirror hanging from the sky. When Otabek looks over the shore of Astera the glitter is the same as back there and he feels at home.

It took him some time to get used to the brimming of the town at the edge of the jungle, if he’s being honest. Instead of the sounds of the Kelbi climbing the rocks in the morning, there’s the sound of so many creatures waking now, it has him eager for a new adventure every day anew. The calls of birds and small flying wyverns from the forest mixes with the sounds of the blacksmith’s hammers, the cheerful greetings of the people at the market and - and it makes Otabek excited whenever he hears it - the blow of the horn signaling a hunter’s departure on another quest. Astera, the first hunter base that was erected in the New World, is a clutter of wrecks of the flying ships that brought the First Fleet here, then the second and all the fleets after them. It’s an accumulation of planks and ruptured decks and cots and shacks between them, the wood groaning and the sea wind whispering. It’s like a living, breathing organism.

There’s something else though, lately: concerned murmurs between the researchers and hunters, rumours about strange traces in the forest. An unknown monster that might as well be an unknown threat.

When the hunters of Astera are called in for a powwow, Otabek is among them.

It’s been a few weeks since the strange monster traces have been discovered. There’s pieces of fur that a hunter picked up from the bark of a tree, footprints on the ground, half blurred, a sketch of the damages a set of claws left on a Great Jagras’ scales. The bowgun the hunter used to bring down the big lizard destroyed some of the traces, but it’s obvious the Great Jagras was attacked by a monster no one has ever heard of in Astera.

There’s something familiar to the marks though, so Otabek steps closer.

“I’ve seen this claw pattern before, but it’s no Rathian,” the hunter says, and another agrees.

“The claws are too thin for a Rathian, and you said there’s no burn marks at all. A Rathian would have breathed fire before getting close enough and use her claws.”

“A Tobikadachi?” 

Now it’s the Handler who shakes her head. “They don’t attack Jagras like this, the territory is way too far apart.”

“But the fur color,” the bowgun user objects, “is similar to those of Tobikadachi.”

“The structure is different though,” one of the researchers cuts in. “This is not a creature that’s classified as a thunder type wyvern. You see, the fur of thunder monsters has the keratine structured in a spiral pattern, whereas the fur that has been found-”

“It’s not a Tobikadachi, I get it,” the bowgun user laughs, saving them all from a lengthy lecture about details hunters usually don’t dive into.

“It’s a Barioth,” Otabek finally states, and all heads turn towards him.

“A what?” the Handler asks with unobscured interest.

“A Barioth. It’s an ice tusk wyvern from the Old World, native to snow areas. White fur, saber teeth and three huge claws that leave marks like these,” he points at the sketch on the table, “and these,” and then at his face.

There’s a murmur going through the attendees, and he can hear the bowgun user say, “I knew I’d seen these claw marks before!”

And it’s true - the three scar marks on Otabek’s face run diagonally from his right eyebrow to the left side of his jaw, only barely missing his eyes. It’s old scars, pale from the years, but still wide and shimmering when the light hits the right angle, like the wyvern left a little of its ice in the skin.

“What’s a monster from the icy areas of the Old World doing in the Ancient Forest though?” the biologist wonders aloud and the Handler nods.

“This is unusual, very unusual. Sure, there’s been monsters migrating, but not to a habitat that different from their accustomed territory.” She bites her thumb nail, pondering, then looks up to Otabek. “You know this monster,” she starts, and the commander steps forward to finish her train of thought.

“If anyone is qualified to depart on a quest so we can solve the mystery of this wyvern’s strange behaviour, it’s you. You know more about this monster than any of us.”

The Field Team Leader hums in approval. “With your shared backstory, I think you’re the right man for this quest.”

Otabek nods. It’s true, he knows this wyvern better than most hunters. The scars on his face are proof of that.

With its lush greens and humid air the Ancient Forest is indeed an odd place for a Barioth. It’s a wyvern made for living in degrees close to absolute zero.

So is Otabek.

But the farther north he travels the more the temperature drops, bit by bit but steadily. He suspects that a Barioth would try and seek for cooler climates, even in an unbeneficial environment, so he makes his way through the bushes and vines until he can’t see the small wyverns drawing circles in the sky over the town of Astera, and then he walks for hours more.

He collects traces of monsters he finds on the way, herbs and a few ores and even a very pretty Pukei-Pukei feather that got stuck in a ferny.

He hears her even before he can spot any traces of her: an angry screech echoing through the leaves and branches, the stroke of strong wings, then another screech. The pattern is the usual, she attacked him like that before. Then he sees the fire flickering through the trunks and branches and hurries to see what made her that angry.

A Rathian is a very angry wyvern to begin with. But when she feels her nest endangered she turns right-out furious. She’s a mother protecting her offsprings in the most reckless way, and she’ll fight fang and claw to fight off any threat.

In flight her mighty wings almost don’t fit into the clearing between the trees when Otabek arrives. He hides behind the bushes because even an experienced hunter like him knows not to draw the attention of this literal beast when enraged. The Rathian is out of control, but the odd thing is that Otabek can’t see what made her so angry. She screeches once more, flips her poisonous tail and eventually spits a fireball towards a tree. It must have just fallen recently, maybe even clawed out of the soil if the marks of her razor sharp claws in the bark are any indication. It’s only now that he notices the small hunched figure hunched behind the trunk - a human!

The impact of the fireball is barely stopped by the trunk that catches fire immediately. Another attack and the wood will give in to make way and leave the person exposed to the lethal assault. There’s only one way to avoid that.

With a metallic sweep the charge blade is out and crashes into the green scales. The Rathian is startled, brought to her feet, then whips around to him with glowing eyes. She’s lost interest in her previous target, which is good, but now she’s solely focused on Otabek. He can only hide behind his shield when she roars at him, pressing the metal into his forearm. It’s right afterwards that he notices an opening and charges for her head, once, twice, rolls to the side when she snaps at him, then attacks her wing. Blood splatters onto his shield.

He’s not prepared for fire or poison attacks, but at least his shield averts most of the damage when she fires a volley at him. He barely has time to look around and see the small figure she attacked before staring at the spectacle like frozen in place.

“Run!” he calls out, then his focus is returned to the wyvern that has taken off to swipe her poisoned tail at him. From the corner of his eye he sees the person scamper towards where Otabek entered the clearing.

He unites his sword and blade to axe mode and lands a combo right into the Rathian’s head when she aims to spit a fireball at him, making her crash into the ground. Her blood splatters all over his armor, but it gives him time to retreat and follow the other person out of the immediate range of the monster. Usually this would be the time when he deals some serious damage, but with someone obviously inexperienced around, it would only increase the risk of them getting attacked once more. The best option they have at this point is to run. And oh, does he run!

He finds the person badly hidden behind a trunk, not nearly as far as he had wished, watching as he flees from the confused wyvern.

“I told you to run-” Otabek starts, but the angry screech of the Rathian interrupts him. With a muttered curse he puts away his weapon and reaches into his pouch. “Shield your eyes!” he warns but has no time to wait. Luckily the other person hastily covers their eyes just in time for the flash bomb to go off right before the face of the approaching Rathian.

When the Wyvern howls in confusion, the person looks at him helpless. It’s a young boy, Otabek notices, a Wyverian with curved drooping ears. 

With a frown Otabek grabs the boy’s arm. “Are you coming or not?”

A short nod is all the answer Otabek needs to drag the Wyverian boy away from the clearing.

“I did _ not _ get lost,” the Wyverian insists but Otabek doesn’t believe a word he says. The way the tips of his long ears get redder tells the truth anyway.

He stomps through the thicket behind Otabek as graceless as he can manage with his digitigrade legs. It’s undoubtedly his way of showing what he thinks of Otabek’s judgement of the situation.

He tells Otabek he departed from the Research Base three days ago to travel to Astera. “I’m the new Felyne Handler,” he says, like the concept of a Felyne Handler is something absolutely common. Or like there was an _ old _ Felyne Handler. “I’m going to keep the felyne-human relationship in order when the Sixth Fleet arrives. There’s going to be a lot of new hunters and palicoes arriving and _ someone _ has to keep an eye on them so there’s no chaos.” It makes sense to Otabek, even if he’s not sure how the boy will try and handle such a task when he can’t travel one and a half days south without almost getting roasted crisp.

“The name’s Yuri.” 

“Otabek.”

Yuri flips his sunshine blond hair over his shoulder and huffs. It’s easy to tell he’s in a really bad mood. No wonder with how far he strayed from the path to Astera. He must have been so scared alone in the forest without a proper weapon, and no clue if he’d ever find his way again - not that he ever would admit he didn’t know where he was going in the first place.

“It was a slight detour,” he explains. He doesn’t even sound convinced himself this time. How could he be when he’s been travelling to the west instead of to the south.

“It’s hard to pinpoint cardinal directions from underneath all the trees,” he deadpans, but Yuri just huffs in annoyance.

When they arrive in Astera it’s already dark. The waves wash against the shore in a soothing rhythm, and Yuri’s eyes light up like the torches all over the market place.

“Fucking finally,” he sighs and Otabek can only agree. This wasn’t like he had planned this exploration to go at all.

The Field Team Leader rushes towards them when they step through the gates. “Well,” he laughs, “not a Barioth, but quite a rare species nevertheless.” He looks Yuri up and down with a bright smile. “We expected you the day before yesterday, boy.”

“I made a slight detour,” Yuri growls. He sounds a little like the angry Rathian that tried to flambé him earlier.

“Well, I guess you would like to see your room then, right? Follow me, then.” He nods towards Otabek, who understands.

He’s aware that a search party was sent out yesterday, in the general direction of the Rotten Vale, because someone from the Third Fleet had not arrived at Astera as scheduled...

He mentions it to the Commander during his debriefing.

“I’ll have the search party informed,” the Commander says with a nod. “As you know the Felyne Handler will be lodged in your barracks until the new palico base is set up with his help. You’ve become acquainted with him already, so if you’d show him around a little I’d be relieved.” Then he grins, which is a rare thing to be seen. “Wouldn’t want the little stray to get lost again.”

Yuri, sitting on the bunk bed that the Field Team Leader had installed a few days ago, rolls his eyes when Otabek returns to the barracks that have been built into the old ship. “I’ve really had a run of bad luck today.”

Otabek doesn’t mind Yuri being moody. “Three,” he says, shrugging off his charge blade and starts loosening the straps of his armor.

“Say what now?”

“Three days of bad luck,” Otabek explains. “Unless you don’t count losing your way in the Ancient Forest as bad luck.”

Yuri is about to throw a tantrum when the door opens and Kaligazh runs towards Otabek. “Meowster, you’re back!” she mewls, ready to assist him in getting his armor off, but stops in her tracks when she spots Yuri. “I see we have a new room-mate?”

Yuri’s anger has made a 180 degree-turn into absolute rapture.

“I’m Kaligazh,” the hazel and vanilla-colored cat companion says with a slight bow.

“Yuri,” Yuri says simply. His eyes, Otabek notices even in the dim light of the fireplace, glitter like Machalite ore.

“Welcome to Astera!” Kaligazh beams a fanged smile at him. “I’m happy my meowster has a friend now to keep him company. Meowself likes to sleep on the railing outside, so I figured it’s purr-etty lonely down here, but I love listening to the waves lulling meow to sleep.”

“U-hu,” Yuri says dreamily.

He’s very taciturn as Kaligazh helps Otabek out of his armor and keeps talking about life in Astera and how she loves to watch the stars twinkle on the waves. It’s easy to tell Yuri loves cats by his vague smile as he listens.

“I hope you don’t mind if I head meowtside now,” she says when Otabek has gotten out of his armor and stores it away in the item box. “It’s been a long day. See you tomeowrrow.” She takes a leave out of the transom window without making a sound.

Yuri lays down on his bed and pulls the blanket over his shoulder.

Otabek does the same. “Good night.”

There’s no answer.

The next morning Otabek and Kaligazh take Yuri on a tour around the town. They’ve been to the Research Base of the Third Fleet before, that is so very different from Astera, so Otabek can tell that it must be a whole new experience for Yuri. At the very least the excited glitter in his eyes is proof.

They decide to have breakfast at the canteen. Yuri can’t take his eyes off the felynes preparing the food on the open fire. It’s nice to see him lower his guard for once.

Otabek doesn’t know why but it feels that Yuri acts a little reserved around him. It’s probably just the embarrassment of having been saved by that Rathian. It’s still a weird situation. Otabek is not the most approachable person either. He tries to remain professional, even when Yuri snaps at him, or rolls his eyes, or overall acts like a moody child.

The Chef, a big, buff tomcat with a scar over his right eye, places the plates on the heavy wooden table with distinctive care. There’s fried mushrooms, skewers of meat that are moist with juice, and a bowl of white rice with mosswine pork and scrambled eggs, onions and peas. Yuri’s cheeks redden in excitement.

“Thanks for the food!” Kaligazh exclaims and reaches for one of the skewers. Otabek and Yuri follow her example wordlessly.

From the canteen you have a wonderful view over Astera. The town brims with life and as they eat in solitude Otabek notices that Yuri keeps looking to the horizon where the sea and the blue sky blur into each other.

“You came here with the Third Fleet?” Otabek asks, and Yuri’s ears twitch.

“I was born in Yukumo, but my parents died, so I came here with my grampa with the Third. He said he wanted to give me a better chance in life than being stuck in that stupid, boring little village.” He chuckles. “Well, he didn’t say it was stupid and boring though. That’s my words.”

Otabek nods. He’s been to Yukumo, a pretty little village that’s nestled between the mountains providing it with its famous hot springs. He doesn’t think of Yukumo as stupid or boring, but he can see why Yuri has that opinion. After all Otabek did flee his village as well because it felt too small for him.

“Is he still with the Research Base?” Otabek asks. “Your grandfather?”

At that Yuri’s look drops to the table. “No. Not anymore.”

He’s dead, Otabek figures. Yuri’s long, curved ears hang and he stabs his fork into a piece of mosswine pork like he wants to kill the poor creature a second time.

The mood is ruined.

Because Otabek didn’t have much opportunity to look for more traces of the Barioth when he departed on the first exploration, he does so in the following days. Kaligazh stays behind with Yuri. The Sixth Fleet will be arriving sooner or later - if nothing goes wrong - and the Admiral wants a base set up the faster the better so they can coordinate hunter and felyne activities as soon as possible. At the Research Base Yuri has been the protegé of the Lynian Expert for years, so he is the perfect choice to assist the members of the ecological research team in planning the new palico headquarters.

It’s nice to return from the quest and find the fire warming his room and Yuri sprawled out on his bed surrounded by books and parchments, sketching designs for the palico base, or reading, or being asleep. Mostly being asleep.

Otabek tries to be quiet when he returns that day, setting his Full Blackguard down into the weapon stand in slow motion so to not make a sound, then shrugs off his armor. Yuri snorts in his sleep when the shoulder pads made from Arzuros parts clatter, but doesn’t wake up.

The candle on Yuri’s bedpost has almost burned down to a stump, so when the armor ist stored away in the wooden chest like every night Otabek carefully makes his way over to Yuri’s bed to blow it out.

He can’t help but take a look at the designs Yuri sketched before he does though.

There’s no denying that Yuri is good at what he does. The designs are elaborate, artistic even, and the notes surrounding the sketches show there’s no detail without a purpose. Yuri no doubt put a lot of work into these. No wonder he’s so tired in the evenings Otabek barely sees him awake when he returns from his quests.

He looks at peace though. His usually grim expression softens when he’s asleep. His brows relax into an elegant arc, his lips are slightly parted. His long, dark golden lashes cast shadows on his high cheekbones. The flicker of the candle dances on his skin. Otabek thinks he’s beautiful.

He hurries to blow out the candle.

It’s from that night on that Otabek finds himself staring at Yuri.

When they have breakfast together, something Kaligazh insists on, because they rarely have time to spend together. Or when he puts on his armor and Yuri is still in their shared room going through his to-do list for the day. Or when he returns from the hunt, late at night, and Yuri is there, and it feels like coming home.

He’s beautiful, sitting by the fire with half a dozen books spread around him and his parchment in his lap.

Otabek stores his armor away and sits down across from him, watches him copy lines from a book about wooden structures onto the sheet in silence. It’s peaceful like this. It’s really nice to have someone around to keep him company, just like Kaligazh said that first day.

Yuri’s mood has become better, even around him. He’s a good roommate, a little messy sometimes, but it’s nothing Otabek can’t handle. By now he’s used to finding single socks under his bed, or quills, or both. It feels domestic. And the warmth that fills the room is not only caused by the fire.

“What?” Yuri asks, when he looks up and finds Otabek staring at him. He’s caught Otabek staring a few times now, but he never said something. Tonight though there’s a blush creeping onto his cheeks that makes his green eyes stand out even more. He’s pretty like that.

Otabek shrugs.

Yuri doesn’t leave it at that. “What are you staring at?” And before Otabek has a chance to answer, he drops the quill and covers his face with both hands. “It’s my nose, right? It’s always my nose!”

Otabek frowns. “What’s wrong with your nose?” He honestly has no idea. Yuri’s nose is perfectly normal, small and pointy and cute. Nothing noteworthy about it really besides the fact that it dares Otabek to softly poke it with his finger.

“It’s too small?!” Yuri snaps. “And I fucking know it is, okay? I’ve been teased for it my entire fucking life, by assholes like you, I really don’t need you perstering me. You’re not even a Wyverian!”

“I’m not teasing you,” he says, slowly. It’s true, now that Yuri mentions it, most Wyverians have large, angular noses. Like a Zamtrios, or any kind of piscine wyvern. Yuri on the contrary looks very human in that regard.

“Yeah, but you’re staring at me, like a total asshole,” Yuri answers angrily. “As if you could judge me with your tiny little baby nose!”

“I’m not judging you,” Otabek says. “I actually think your nose is really pretty. And it suits you nicely.”

Now it’s Yuri’s turn to stare. He lets his hands sink so Otabek can see the nose in question. Yuri’s entire face is reddened from embarrassment. Having a small nose seems to be a big deal for Wyverians. “You think so?” he murmurs, his ears drooping as Otabek nods.

“It’s a perfectly cute nose.”

At that Yuri chuckles a little. “I guess for tiny-nosed people like you it really looks normal.” He shrugs, and looks at Otabek through his honey blond fringe. “Pretty even?”

Otabek nods.

And when Yuri apologizes for calling him an asshole it feels like they are a little closer than before.

The storms in Astera are scary. The winds rush in from the sea, waves crashing against the shore with so much power it feels like the continent will crumble under them.

Kaligazh and the other felynes stay at the premises of the canteen to make sure the wind and heavy rains won’t damage too much of the felyne-sized installations.

All hunts have been cancelled for the time being and it leaves Otabek and Yuri trapped in their room. It’s hard to tell the time of the day with the rain making everything the same grey outside, but when night falls everything goes a hundred times darker.

“When does this stop?” Yuri asks as they sit by the fire and nibble on the remains of their dinner. Another wave crashes into the cliff and makes the room and Yuri shake.

“With how bad it is,” Otabek guesses, “it will probably be over in the morning. The storm always gets worst towards the end.”

Yuri, his shoulders hunched, looks around at the wooden structure surrounding them. “Will this hold?”

“It has before.”

It doesn’t seem to convince Yuri, who hums but jumps again as the next wave hits the side of the shore.

“Are you scared?”

Otabek assumed that Yuri would never admit it, but to his surprise the little Wyverian nods. “We don’t have storms like this at the Research Base…” He looks to his bed. “If the wall gives in I’m fucked.”

“It won’t give in.”

Again Yuri hums, but the thought seems to linger.

It’s later that night, after they went to bed already and the fire burned down to a red glimmer, enough to keep them warm until morning, when Yuri says his name.

“Otabek,” he whispers in between two waves shaking the ship’s bow their room is built into. “Otabek, you’re awake?”

“Can’t sleep?”

“You neither,” Yuri states, winces as the next wave comes.

“Come here.” Otabek’s hardly said it out loud that he hears Yuri’s bare feet on the planks, pattering over to his bed and sliding under his sheets.

“There’s no need to be scared,” he murmurs into Yuri’s hair as he wraps his arm around him. The next wave makes Yuri twitch nevertheless. “There have been worse storms. This ship was built to survive this.”

“I wasn’t,” Yuri whines, fisting Otabek’s shirt, pressing his face against Otabek’s collarbone.

He smells nice, he notices while Yuri slowly drifts into sleep despite the thundering of the waves.

The next morning brings sunshine and an azure blue sky. However, Yuri doesn’t sleep in his own bed when Otabek returns from his expedition to check on the damages the storm dealt to the camps in the forest. The books and parchments are spread out on his own bunk bed, like usually, but he has snuggled into Otabek’s bed like it’s the most normal thing to do.

Otabek silently sheds his gear and when he crawls into his bed Yuri hums in his sleep and scoots up until his face is pressed against Otabek’s collarbone.

With a smile Otabek buries his nose in Yuri’s blond mane and wraps his arm around him. It’s nice like this. Very nice.

In fact Yuri never again sleeps in his own bed. When Otabek arrives back at Astera, most of the nights Yuri has already fallen asleep in Otabek’s bed, his eyebrows arched and his pink lips slightly parted. But even when he is still awake by the time Otabek returns, there’s no doubt he’ll wordlessly crawl in Otabek’s bed, lifting the blanket so Otabek can join him. His forehead will be leaned against Otabek’s collarbone so his breath is warm on Otabek’s chest.

“This is nice,” Yuri murmurs one night, when there’s the call of a flying wyvern echoing down from the mountain. Otabek can tell it’s a Legiana, but it doesn’t matter.

“It is,” he answers, his nose in Yuri’s hair.

“You know…” When Yuri speaks Otabek can feel his lips against the skin of his chest. It makes his heart beat faster. “When my grampa died, I thought I’d die too. It was like nothing made sense anymore. Like there was nothing worth living for. Even when the Third Fleet Master asked me to become the assistant to the Lynian Expert, I didn’t think I’d make a difference. But for some reason….” he chuckles against Otabek’s skin. “For some reason that was just what I needed. It was like she knew I’d find a place again.” He turns his head to look up at Otabek. In the faint shine of the fading fire Otabek can only make out the general silhouette of Yuri’s face.

“I’m happy you found me, out there,” Yuri whispers. “I’m happy no one else did. If it hadn’t been you…” He leans up and kisses Otabek gently. 

It’s like nothing he’s ever felt before. Yuri’s lips are soft and warm. His hands are gentle and dainty as he places his fingers on the back of Otabek’s head. He smells good. And he tastes good too.

It’s a soft kiss, that night, a little shy almost, but Otabek likes it. When Yuri moves away from him again it’s Otabek to lean in and place his lips on Yuri’s. They don't talk much that night. They just hold each other and kiss very softly. At some point Yuri leans his forehead against Otabek’s collarbone and whispers “Good night.”

Kaligazh doesn’t ask but her smirk shows a lot of her pointy little fangs.

“We assume it’s a Dragon Elder,” the Commander states, making everyone present mutter in confusion.

“Now, and so close to Astera? ” the Handler asks. “But that’s not normal.”

“I am aware of that,” the Commander says and the Huntsman huffs.

“The Elder Dragon doesn’t seem to be.”

“From what we know it appears to be a Nergigante. There’s different traces though, unlike any we’ve seen around.”

“The Barioth?” the Handler asks, but the Commander shakes his head.

“From the information and material Otabek provided us with we can rule that possibility out.”

“A Barioth would not come amiss a Dragon Elder,” Otabek adds. “Not for long at least.”

“So, we’re facing something larger, more powerful,” a greatsword user says and the Commander nods. 

“I am afraid so.”

“We can organize a hunting party,” the Field Team Leader suggests. “A team of four, to find out what business the Nergigante has in this area, and what or who gets in his way. Otabek,” he looks to him, “your knowledge on foreign monsters has proven to be valuable. If you’d join in-”

Otabek nods before he can even finish the sentence.

“I’ll take the lead,” the Field Team Leader says.

“Count me in,” the greatsword user volunteers and so does a gunner.

They schedule their departure for the next morning.

“A Dragon Elder…” Kaligazh tilts her head when she and Yuri sit at the fire in the evening, watching Otabek prepare for the quest. “You don’t see one of those every day, meow.”

Yuri looks even more troubled. “That sounds dangerous.”

“It is,” he replies, sorting through the whetstones in his inventory. “But that’s my job.”

“Still,” Kaligazh purrs. “Be careful. They don’t know what else is out there.”

She should not have said that.

When she is out of the window to sleep on the railing above the rear of the ship, Yuri lets his shoulders and ears hang. It’s clear he is worried. He doesn’t say anything, but the way he presses against Otabek when they go to bed tells a story.

“It’s alright,” Otabek whispers into the sunshine golden hair. “You don’t need to be worried.”

“I am, and I’ll always be.” He looks up, then combs through Otabek’s hair with long, gentle fingers. “Promise me to be careful.”

Otabek nods, then lets Yuri kiss him softly. Maybe he’s lying, because with a Dragon Elder so close to town he cannot afford to be very careful. The safety of Astera is at stake, and of everyone who lives here. The Nergigante is one matter to be concerned about, but whatever challenged the Elder to act so non-characteristically might pose a much bigger threat. They can’t take that lightly.

But then Yuri’s lips are on his throat, and his fingers push up Otabek’s undershirt and the Nergigante and his rival are forgotten for now. Yuri’s touches are soft, gentle, but he doesn’t hesitate. Neither does Otabek. And when their bodies writhe against one another, tan skin on creamy white, and Yuri’s sweet moans fill the air, it only reinforces Otabek’s resolve. 

Yuri's skin tastes like spring, sweet and warm and delirious. Otabek nibbles on his shoulder, then his jaw, then his long, curved ear and it makes Yuri arch his back from the mattress with a lustful groan. He's soft inside and out, pliant and shimmering like silk. Just that he isn't when Otabek spreads his long, toned, digitigrade legs farther and thrusts deep inside. It makes Yuri rake his nails over Otabek's shoulders, pulling him closer and leaving claw marks, burning and sweet. He whispers Otabek’s name like a magic spell and when he's over the edge he still whispers it until Otabek collapses next to him on the mattress, spent.

"Promise me you'll be careful," he asks once more as he clings to Otabek, no matter how sticky they both are.

"I promise," Otabek says, and this time it's not a lie.

The screams echo through the thicket, urgent, almost desperate.

"Watch out! _ Watch out _!!"

Then there's lethal spikes piercing the ground all around them.

Otabek can hardly see with the blood running in his eyes, and now he can't even hear anything but the high pitched noise in his ears. He dodges a blow, but only barely and only coincidentally. He dives to the side and crashes into a trunk. His shoulder hurts from the impact, but he can't care about that now. He needs to sharpen his blade, too, but there's no time. From where he stands it would be easy to flee into the jungle and use his supplies, but he can't leave his fellow hunters behind. They are in the same bad condition as him.

The Nergigante is massive, even for an Elder Dragon. The gunner measured it to be over 22 meters through her scope. And it's not only huge, but also in a frenzy.

"We gotta go in," the Field Team Leader said, and they all agreed. Otabek is sure that all four of them regret that decision by now.

With a groan Otabek uses the tree he cashed into as support, then rushes forward, only to see the Field Team Leader being hit head-on and faint. The greatsword user is right next to him, naturally the next target. He tries to dive to the side, but the Dragon's range is too wide, and it hits him nevertheless, leaving the hunter stunned. The only thing Otabek can do is change his weapons into axe mode and try to draw the monster's attention. He knows it's not a smart thing to do, not with his injuries, but it's the only thing he can think of to save the defenseless greatsword user.

The gunner, who has positioned herself in the thicket up the hill, fires a volley, drawing the Nergigante's attention, which gives Otabek an opportunity to cross the clearing and check on the greatsword user.

"Thanks mate," he gasps when Otabek shakes him out of his stun, but they don't have a chance to use the opening to counterattack when there's a horrible growl making the trees tremble.

It's not the Nergigante's growl. It's something far worse.

And with a whirlwind of giant blue and orange wings, and the gleam of deadly claws, _ something _ crashes into the Nergigante, sending it to the ground.

It's hard to tell what attacked the Elder Dragon, or it must be for the other two hunters. Otabek knows though. He knows and he is frightened.

"What the hell!!" the greatsword user shouts, and it makes an angular head whip around to stare at them. Its claws are still digging into the collapsed Nergigante, but now the glowing eyes and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth are grinning at them instead.

"Run!" Otabek screams, but it's too late. The ground gives in under the Tigrex' powerful legs, the dust following it like a veil of destruction. It's unstoppable and in horror Otabek jumps to the side. The greatsword user is not as lucky. The Tigrex crashes into him with full force. Then it turns towards him.

Otabek can only hope the gunner can make her escape when he lures the Tigrex away.

He puts away his charge blade and _ runs _.

The first thing he sees when he wakes again is whiskers. That’s a good thing, because he very much expected the inside of a Tigrex stomach, or heaven. With a groan he closes his eyes again and is out like a light.

When he awakens again, there’s the Handler bent over him, but only for a second, because she’s pushed aside by Yuri.

“Otabek!!” he sobs and hugs him so hard he feels like he might fall unconscious again right away. 

He fights back a groan, just chuckles and presses his nose into Yuri’s hair. Everything hurts. But he’s alive, he supposes, and that’s something.

The fire dances in the fireplace of their shared room, crackling peacefully.

With a sour face, wet from tears, Yuri pulls away. “I told you to be careful!! You _ promised _ you’d be careful!!!”

“I was,” Otabek croaks, his throat as dry as the Wildspire Waste. “I was, but-” Then it comes back to him. The hunt, the Nergigante, the Tigrex! He tries to sit up, but suddenly the Admiral is there, by the headboard of their bed, holding him down with a big hand.

“There is no need to worry,” he says in his deep, rumbling voice. “The other hunters are all safe. We heard you drew the monster’s attention to give them time to retreat. That was a brave thing to do.”

“That was a stupid thing to do!” Yuri cuts in. In the background Kaligazh meows in agreement.

The Admiral smiles. “The Felyne Handler is not wrong.” Then his expression is serious again. “What the hell was it you encountered out there? None of the other hunters could give us a description that fit any of the monsters home in this part of the New World.”

“That’s because it’s not home here. It’s a Tigrex.”

“Tigrex?” the Handler asks, curious about new monsters as always.

“A large flying monster from where I come from. We call it the Roaring Wyvern. It’s... dangerous.”

The Admiral hums. “You say it originates from your birthplace?”

“A monster that lives in snow and ice then?” the Handler suspects. Her memory of the hunters she befriends rivals that about monsters.

When Otabek nods, the Commander, who has kept silent so far, hums. “The Hoarfrost Reach. The Tigrex must have come from there for some reason.”

“We never had any monster travelling that far south though, not in the fifty years since the Research Team of the First Fleet started their records.”

“And still,” the Admiral says, “we have had two of them in the past few weeks, the Barioth and now the Tigrex.”

“We have to send word to Seliana.” The Commander frowns. “They can provide assistance in this matter. They know how to handle these monsters.”

“Assemble a party then,” the Admiral orders, “we have to act quickly. There’s no telling how the Tigrex will behave in a foreign environment.”

At that Otabek sits up with a hiss, Yuri looking concerned. “I volunteer.”

“Otabek!” Yuri tries to object, and the Handler joins in: “You just came back from an encounter with the Tigrex in barely one piece, you need to rest.”

Neither the Admiral nor the commander object though. It encourages Otabek to keep speaking. “I fought the Tigrex before and I fought it now. I can help the researchers and hunters in Seliana to decide what needs to be done.”

“He’s right,” Kaligazh mewls. “He’s the only meowne who can do it.”

“It’s decided then,” the Admiral concludes. “The party will leave tomorrow at the break of dawn. You should get some rest until then.”

“I’ll take care of your equipment.” Kaligazh doesn’t even wait for his answer and leaves with the others, balancing Otabek’s charge blade that looks comically large in her little arms.

The fire crackles like nothing happened, but Yuri stares at Otabek with an angry crinkle to his pretty brows. “Why do you always need to be so reckless?”

Otabek sighs, and leans against the headboard. “I’m not being reckless. I’m just trying to protect you.”

“Oh yeah?” Yuri pouts like a child. “Guess what, then, _ I’m _ just trying to protect _ you _, dumbass.”

He’s pissed, but when Otabek holds his hand out Yuri crashes into his chest with a frustrated sigh. “I was so scared when they came back without you,” he whines against Otabek’s chest. It hurts a little when he wraps his arms around Otabek’s chest in a tight embrace, but Otabek could never want him to let go. “I thought I had lost you, too. I’m sick and tired of losing the ones I love…”

Otabek frowns. “Love?”

Yuri doesn’t say anything. But that’s an answer as well.

“I love you too,” Otabek murmurs, pressing his nose into Yuri’s hair.

“If you do, then let me come with you.”

“Yuri-”

But Yuri sits up, determination shining in his Machalite green eyes. “Prove it. I promise I won’t be in the way.”

“But Yuri, it’s dangerous-”

“I don’t care. As long as you’re with me I’ll be safe. You saved me from that Rathian, and you saved your party from that Tigrex. You’ll keep me safe.” He tilts his head so he looks at Otabek through his golden fringe. “Please don’t leave me behind worrying about you like that again. Please.”

Otabek sighs. “Let’s see what the Admiral says about it.”

Four days later Yuri sees snow for the first time in his life.

End.

Please give some love to my artist GoldenFalls, too! -> <https://twitter.com/GlowingFalls/status/1189982196666265600/photo/1>

**Author's Note:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Astera: The hunter base in the New World. When the First Fleet arrived there, their flying ship crashed into the shore and the wreck was used as a makeshift camp. The following fleets just expanded the existing camp until it became the permanent base on the south shore of the continent.
> 
> Barioth: A Wyvern from snowy areas. It has a cougar like look with long fangs, like a saber tooth tiger.
> 
> Dragon Elders: Monsters that are very rare and very special. They have unique skills and there's not much known about them so far other than that they are deadly.
> 
> Full Backguard: A weapon from the Charge Blade family. The shield and sword can be combined into an axe to deal more damage.
> 
> Hoarfrost Reach: A winter area west of Astera
> 
> Nergigante: A Dragon Elder with a lot of spikes and horns that it can shoot at its prey
> 
> Palico: Companion cats that assist the hunter on their quests. Every hunter usually has their own, all with armor and weapons and special skills. They can talk, and it sounds funny.
> 
> Rathian: A green flying Wyvern, the so called Queen of the Land, that breathes fire and has poisonous spikes on her tail. Very dangerous when angry. Very easily angered.
> 
> Seliana: The base camp in the Hoarfrost Reach
> 
> Tigrex: A flying wyvern that looks like a T-Rex, just more scary and dangerous. You don’t want to meet it unprepared.
> 
> Wyverians: A humanoid race that derives from Wyverns. They have long ears and big noses, some even digitigrade legs like cats. They age slowly and are often scholars because of their extended life span and wisdom.


End file.
